The stereotype of the small business owner can sometimes be pretty unflattering.
Always in a rush to be somewhere. Endless to-do lists. A desk buried beneath a sea of invoices, receipts, folders and meeting reminders. Information overload and never enough hours in the day.
Thankfully, we are armed with the tools to change this perception.
Today’s technology is making it much easier to stay connected on the move. App based functionality and mobile devices help us to organise, communicate and facilitate so much of our daily activities, sometimes it’s hard to think about what life was like before them.
Ask yourself these two questions:
Question 1 – What is the most valuable use of your time to directly benefit your business?
Question 2 – What do you spend time on that takes you away from your answer to Question 1?
In a lot of cases, mobile technology and purpose designed business applications can reduce the time commitments, delays and back-and-forthing that slow down business owners and managers.
Operating in the pest and building inspection industry across a broad geographical service area throughout Newcastle and the Hunter means it’s crucial that the majority of my time is spent working closely with customers to deliver the highest quality service.
With a high percentage of new business generated from referrals and positive word-of-mouth at Certified Pest and Building Inspection Services, the standard of work delivered is a core strength. It’s the most visible and assessable part of the customer experience, so it’s where I like to spend my time.
So, here’s the secret: I can run the majority of my small business from the palm of my hand.
If a process can be automated, without compromising service quality, then why not?
If an app can be used to reduce double-handling and provide instant information transfer, why wait?
The advantages for a modern business that can adapt to these kinds of technological advancements can be very significant. You can remove the constraints of physical location, reduce inefficiencies in daily logistics and empower your team to improve the way your organisation does business.
Customers can access invoices and provide information, make payments and provide rich insights and feedback into their experiences, which is crucial for business owners in future decision making.
Of course, adopting technology and mobile service delivery into an organisation is not something that happens instantly. Research is required to determine the most appropriate solution on the market; in some cases a custom-built solution is the best investment.
Identifying some of the barriers to integrating mobile technology is the first step, in order to create a plan that works for your needs. Whatever you choose, the most important consideration is that it works for your specific needs, and don’t be afraid to implement in increments to iron out the bugs at each step.
As we move toward a society and work environment that is more reliant on instantaneous information transfer, real-time solutions and cloud based storage and data management, the ability of an organisation to adapt to mobile technology will provide a significant competitive advantage.
